It's called 'American Winter' and it looks like a movie that will break your heart. Here's the description, from HBO:
AMERICAN WINTER tells the interwoven stories of eight families living in and around Portland, Oregon, each of whom called 211info, a nonprofit referral organization, in search of help with paying bills, finding housing, or getting advice on how to weather the current financial downturn. In addition to vérité footage of each family, the documentary includes insights from several local officials and businesspeople.
The profiled families include:
• TJ & Tara – Living in a trailer home with their three children, TJ and Tara see a glimmer of hope in their escalating bill crisis when TJ gets a minimum-wage job, though the optimism proves temporary. As 12-year-old daughter Dakota tries to make the best of things through a first foray into dating, 13-year-old son Justin worries about being made fun of at school, and despairs he’ll never be able to provide for a family when he grows up.
• John & Geral – Proud of the fact that he has always worked, John is now facing a third year of unemployment, and despairs that he’ll soon lose his ranch, the only home son Geral, who has Downs Syndrome, has ever known.
• Brandon & Pam – With Brandon frustrated by a series of close calls on the job front, Pam is forced to go to the Rose Haven women’s shelter for advice on the family’s next steps – a scenario she admits she never envisioned. Eventually, Brandon gets a part-time job he hopes will lead to something better for his wife and two kids.It's coming out on DVD. You can pre-order it here.
